Fisher & Paykel take victory

Race three of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship took place on Sunday on Sydney Harbour

Andrew Cuddihy and his Fisher & Paykel 18ft Skiff team scored their first championship win when they took out race three of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship on Sydney Harbour.

Fisher & Paykel showed some brilliant downwind speed to defeat Rag & Famish Hotel (John Harris) by 25 seconds with Casio Seapathfinder (Michael Coxon) a further 25 seconds back in third place.

After race three, Casio leads the series on ten points, followed by Rag & Famish on 11 and Club Marine (Euan Mc Nicol) on 13.

Rounding out the top six are Ssangyong Yandoo in fourth place on 17, Omega Smeg on 19 and De Longhi on 24.

Rag & Famish and Casio won the start and the pair were soon vying for the lead on the windward leg to the Beashel bouy.

Halfway up the leg Casio took control to lead by 15 seconds from Rag & Famish closely followed by Fisher & Paykel, AAPT, Active Air & Belle Property.

Asko Appliances was in tenth place, more than a minute from the leader.

Casio retained the lead downwind but the Fisher & Paykel team was showing its best form of the season to get within three seconds of Casio at the Clark Island mark. Rag & Famish was five seconds back in third place, while Belle Property was fourth ahead of the next group.

Fisher & Paykel went to the right-hand side of the course on the second windward leg, while Casio went left. When the pair met off Rose Bay, Fisher & Paykel led by one boat length in an impressive display of power sailing.

The pair again took opposite sides of the course but at the Beashel Bouy, Casio had regained a 13 second lead over Fisher & Paykel. Rag & Famish was still third, but now more than half a minute off the lead.

There was a gap of a minute to the next group, headed by Ssanyong Yandoo then Belle Property, AAPT & Delonghi.

When Casio was forced to do a 360 penalty turn for an infringement near the Clark Island mark, her winning chances were lost as she fell back to third behind Fisher & Paykell and Rag & Famish.

Over the final lap of the course Fisher & Paykel retained their lead to score an impressive victory.

Results:

Pos	Skiff	Club Cship Points
1	Fisher & Paykel	47
2	Rag & Famish Hotel	11
3	Casio Seapathfinder	10
4	Ssangyong Yandoo	17
5	AAPT	33
6	De Longhi	24
7	Belle Property	46
8	Maytag	26
9	appliancesonline.com.au	29
10	Club Marine	13
11	Omega Smeg	19
12	Panasonic	39
13	SX Projects	46
14	Asko Appliances	34
15	CST Composites	43
16	Active Air	43
17	Toshiba	42
18	Wentworth Courier	56
19	Rosemount	69
20	Southern Cross Constructions	56